Back to Case Studies

Beef & Lamb Feedlots

Kachana Beef

Kachana Beef saves time & money with Thomas Engineering mill system installed by AFSystems. With no on-site milling capacity, Western Australia-based feedlot beef operator, Kachana Beef, was wasting important human and machinery resources by carting its own grain to a nearby commercial miller and back to the farm’s bunkers, until AFSystems stepped in to offer an efficient alternative.

The Challenge

Kachana Beef had always relied on extensive manual labour and use of trucks, tractors and a mixer to provide their quality feed products, but they were unable to control final feed recipes, and as a result, the quality of feed could vary significantly. In some cases, a higher presence of dust would deter the cattle from consuming the necessary quantity of the delivered product to gain weight. This shortcoming in feed conversion was negatively impacting feedlot efficiency and profitability. In addition, the minimal on-farm power made it essential for any system to operate off a generator (75 KVA).

No items found.

The Solution

Kachana Beef had always relied on extensive manual labour and use of trucks, tractors and a mixer to provide their quality feed products, but they were unable to control final feed recipes, and as a result, the quality of feed could vary significantly. In some cases, a higher presence of dust would deter the cattle from consuming the necessary quantity of the delivered product to gain weight. This shortcoming in feed conversion was negatively impacting feedlot efficiency and profitability. In addition, the minimal on-farm power made it essential for any system to operate off a generator (75 KVA).

  • 24” AJ Thomas Roller Mill with 600m stand
  • Infeed Hopper with double magnets
  • 22KW motor (3 Phase) with 2 x DOL Sensors & Electric Drive kit
  • KW (3 phase) motor with pulleys & belts & choke
  • 2 x 6” Augers / 6 & 8.5m, 2.2KW (3 phase) motor with pulleys & belts & choke
  • 1 x 7” Augers / 7m
  • 5.5KW (3 phase) motor with pulleys & belts & choke

The Results

The Thomas Mill system allows Kachana Beef to minimise on-site storage and keep feed stocks fresh. And most importantly, the system had paid for itself just 12 months after installation.

Would Gavin Watt recommend AFSystems
“The new system makes it far more efficient and economical to carry out this process myself rather than pay someone else to do it. I also have the flexibility to change the texture of the feed to suit different circumstances.”

The Benefits

“As a feedlot beef operator, I needed a high-output, money-saving solution that allowed me to purchase grain in bulk,” says Gavin Watt from Kachana Beef.

Labour resources that used to be allocated to transport are now directed towards revitalising farm pastures and other operating infrastructure for greater productivity.